Behavioural Insights Projects
Discover projects applying behavioural science to policy from around the world. Add your own projects, whether completed or still ongoing, to contribute knowledge on BI applications across different countries, policy areas, and topics of interest.

Number of BI projects:
0
Legend: Projects status
- Pre-registered project
- Completed project
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BI Project
Are there ways to limit the accrual of excessive loan amounts by students? A letter sent to students with student loans who have received a supplementary grant increases the likelihood of them reducing their loan amounts. This increased likelihood translates to an annual average decrease of over € 150 in loan amounts for students receiving both a supplementary grant and a loan.
Why this experiment was conducted: award of supplementary grant sometimes has little or no impact on loan…
The general objective of this project was to test the effectiveness of presented information to retail investors. The overall aim is that the information provided should be well understood by retail investors and allow them to compare and select among different investment products.
BI Project
Full price information for consumers: What effect does the way prices are displayed have on online…
The Netherlands Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM) conducted an experiment to investigate the effect of incomplete prices when booking a holiday home. Websites that display incomplete prices cause greater uncertainty, make choosing more difficult, undermine trust and give the feeling of deception compared to websites displaying transparent prices.
Why this experiment was conducted: unclear picture of actual costs
In 2021, the ACM conducted a study into effective transparency. The aim was…
In partnership with the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Office of Behavioural Science (BeSciO), the Privy Council Office’s Impact and Innovation Unit (IIU) has launched a multi-wave public opinion research survey to better understand public health challenges in Canada. The 'Health, Attitudes, and Behavioural Insights Trends' (HABIT) survey, combines research methods from the field of behavioural science (BeSci) with robust policy analysis to help inform government policies, programs, and…
BI Project
Website Verbeterjehuis.nl helps homeowners choose the right sustainability measures: which…
This online experiment tested various ways in which sustainability measures for homeowners are presented on the website verbeterjehuis.nl, ‘improve your home’. The variant emphasising that the sustainability measures are 'recommended for your personal situation' proved to be most effective. This addition acts as an incentive to homeowners to install roof insulation or adopt other sustainability measures.
Why this experiment was conducted: verbeterjehuis.nl website optimisation
Homeowners…
Challenge
At San Francisco State University, 18% of students drop out by the end of their first year, mostly for reasons unrelated to their academic achievements. The goal was to increase the number of first-year college students returning for their second year.
Design
To help first-year students understand that the challenges they faced were neither unique to them nor evidence of personal failure, all incoming first-year students at SF State were asked to watch a three-minute video in which…
Climate change is undoubtedly a challenge with deep - and increasingly complex - behavioural roots. High profile efforts are already underway in Canada through federal levers, like the carbon tax, energy efficiency regulations, and investments in clean technology, that further the Government of Canada's goals for decarbonization, electrification, energy-efficiency, and nature-based solutions. An additional tool to contribute to these efforts is evidenced-based, data-driven behavioural science…
The Program of Applied Research on Climate Action in Canada (PARCA Canada) combines behavioural science (BeSci) insights and methods with robust policy analysis to promote climate action. One of the main areas of focus involves the launch of a longitudinal survey that will, over time, collect data on research questions of interest to the promotion of climate action in Canada (e.g. transportation, home energy use, waste management, engagement with nature, preparedness for extreme weather,…
In 2023 the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) partnered with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to expand on a 2020 survey undertaken by CSIRO that explored Australian attitudes to specific elements of the energy transition (with an emphasis on solar farms). For example, the perceptions of risks and benefits. This project has now expanded to further examine Australians’ acceptance (commonly referred to as ‘social…
The Health Quality & Safety Commission (‘the
Commission’) uses data from the National Adult
Inpatient Experience Survey to understand patient
experience and evaluate quality of patient care in
hospitals. Two questions (See Appendix 1A) pertaining to
patients’ understanding of medication side-effects and
condition management have consistently received low
scores on the survey every quarter. Ogilvy conducted
Phase 1 of ‘Raising the Bar’ research for the Commission,
investigating these…